Suitable for:
KS2 Victorian Britain, KS2 Literacy, KS2/3 Industrial Revolution

Lesson Length: 45–60 minutes

Help pupils develop historical enquiry and evidence-analysis skills through this engaging lesson based upon an extract from Silas Hocking’s Her Benny. Pupils investigate what a Victorian source reveals about poverty, housing and childhood in Liverpool before comparing it with an AI-generated historical interpretation based on the text.

✔ Original Her Benny extract (written and .mp3)
✔ Differentiated version with more accessible language
✔ Line-numbered sources to support guided reading and evidence retrieval
✔ Source analysis and comparison activities
✔ Historical interpretation tasks
✔ Key vocabulary activity
✔ Challenge and extension questions

Skills Developed:

• Identifying and using evidence
• Comparing sources and interpretations
• Understanding provenance and limitations
• Historical enquiry and critical thinking
• Flexible Teaching